NewsWhore
09-26-2008, 05:00 PM
According to President Leonel Fernandez, the recent financial crisis in the US has yet to negatively affect remittances to the DR. Fernandez says that in fact, remittances have increased. On average, 10% of the DR's GDP is comprised of remittances. Speaking at a press conference at New York City's Fordham University, Fernandez expressed the wish that the US crisis would be transient. Fernandez says the government has implemented measures that would curtail any possible effects. He called on the US to support the fight against illicit drug trafficking. "The DR is asking for increased cooperation from the US with training, information sharing, logistics and technology in order to fight drug trafficking more effectively."
Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd, Fernandez said that he wanted Dominicans living abroad to feel connected to the DR's future. "We don't look at you as Dominicans living abroad. This is a fence of trans-nationalism. Geography doesn't play the same role as before. If you happen to live in a barrio in New York called Washington Heights, it's still Dominican. You [still] play an important role in the future of the Dominican Republic." Fernandez's trip to Fordham coincided with the launch of Ronald Schneider's biography of the Dominican President, "Caribbean Crusader: Leonel Fernandez and the Transformation of the Dominican Republic."
Fernandez responded to questions on his government's priorities. Fernandez's government recently completed the construction of the first subway line in the capital, Santo Domingo, a US$700 million project that drew criticism from advocates for health and education programs. "Why did we focus on building a subway? I think we must become less dependent on fossil fuels," said Fernandez. "Oil will peak in terms of its production, and the price will only increase. We need a system that is less dependent on the private vehicle." Students from Fordham's graduate program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED) questioned Fernandez on his plans for improving social programs now that the DR has become the largest economy in the Central American and Caribbean region. See
www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/Public_Affairs/topstories_1355.asp (http://www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/Public_Affairs/topstories_1355.asp)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd, Fernandez said that he wanted Dominicans living abroad to feel connected to the DR's future. "We don't look at you as Dominicans living abroad. This is a fence of trans-nationalism. Geography doesn't play the same role as before. If you happen to live in a barrio in New York called Washington Heights, it's still Dominican. You [still] play an important role in the future of the Dominican Republic." Fernandez's trip to Fordham coincided with the launch of Ronald Schneider's biography of the Dominican President, "Caribbean Crusader: Leonel Fernandez and the Transformation of the Dominican Republic."
Fernandez responded to questions on his government's priorities. Fernandez's government recently completed the construction of the first subway line in the capital, Santo Domingo, a US$700 million project that drew criticism from advocates for health and education programs. "Why did we focus on building a subway? I think we must become less dependent on fossil fuels," said Fernandez. "Oil will peak in terms of its production, and the price will only increase. We need a system that is less dependent on the private vehicle." Students from Fordham's graduate program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED) questioned Fernandez on his plans for improving social programs now that the DR has become the largest economy in the Central American and Caribbean region. See
www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/Public_Affairs/topstories_1355.asp (http://www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/Public_Affairs/topstories_1355.asp)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)